


let the sky fall, we will stand tall

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Parent!AU, Zombies, zombie!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-01 14:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2775872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Yeah...she started to eat you...and then pap tossed her off...she just kept coming at you, trying to bite us...but pap saved me...but not you." She whimpered, clinging to Harry's shirt with her tiny, tiny fists</p><p>or where Louis and Harry's daughter wakes up one morning, crying, saying that she had a dream about people eating people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let the sky fall, we will stand tall

**Author's Note:**

> zombie/kid!fic
> 
> i thought it was an easy enough idea so here it is!
> 
> a zombie x kid!fic x larry oneshot!
> 
> title from skyfall by adele

It was the dead of night and Harry was being shaken awake, hearing tiny hiccups from his shaker.  
"Daddy," she whimpered and Harry's eyes snapped open. 

There was little, three year old Cordelia standing there, panda squished in her tiny hands, crying quietly. She had tear-tracks on her cheeks and was shaking with sobs little girl sobs.  
"Del, what's wrong?" Harry sat up, frowning. "Come here, love." 

He lifted her up so she was sitting between Harry and the still-sleeping-Louis.  
"I had a bad dream," she mumbled, lip shaking. "Scary, scary dream." 

Harry frowned, nudged Louis' leg to wake him and switched on the bedside lamp. Louis groaned, rubbing his eyes at the sudden light.  
"Shut it off," he mumbled. "Off, now."  
"Papa," Cordelia whimpered and then Louis was awake and looking worriedly at little Delia. Perfect parent, he was.

She never came into their room unless it was serious. 

She was one prioritized little girl.  
"Oh, darling, what's wrong?" Louis cooed and Harry smiled softly at the two. 

He'd never get used to seeing Louis father so well.  
"Had a bad dream, eh?" Louis quirked a grin. "Tell me. What was it about?"

She shook her head, hair ghosting across his shoulders. She'd gone and cut it last week with scissors up to her neck. Silly kids doing silly things.  
"No," she shook her head, pouting. "It's scary."  
"Well, I guess it's not too scary because you won't tell me so I can help! I can fight the monsters!" Louis grinned, showing her his upper arms.  
"With what?"  
"Why, my bare hands, of course! They won't know what hit 'em!" Louis punched his fists out in front of him, one, two, three. "Pow!" 

Harry withheld a laugh, biting his lip to fight the grin. Louis was so good with her. He knew just what to say to get her to talk.  
"They'd kick your butt!" She squealed, smile lighting up her face. 

Harry gave Louis' arm a squeeze, drawing him back to the matter of her dream.  
"So, love, what was the dream about?"  
"We...We were going to see Uncle Niall and...and Mrs. O'Connor from next door...she attacked you, daddy." She turned to Harry, sniffling. 

Harry cooed and hugged her tight, brushing the hair out of her face.  
"Then what, love?" Harry asked, soft and smooth.  
"She started to...to...bite you." She mumbled, a sob falling from her lips.  
"Bite me?" Harry asked, appalled.  
"Yeah...she started to eat you...and then pap tossed her off...she just kept coming at you, trying to bite us...but pap saved me...but not you." She whimpered, clinging to Harry's shirt with her tiny, tiny fists. 

Harry gasped, eyes wide. Where had she come up with such a tale? 

Louis and Harry hadn't allowed her to watch any violent shows or movies and certainly not _zombie_ flicks, so how had she come up with such a thing?  
"Love," Harry said, hesitant. "You know that's not real, right? I'm right here. I'm okay. Mrs. O'Connor is fine. The only thing she eats is cake. Not daddies."  
"But she did, daddy! She bit into your ankle and then right here," she pointed to his shoulder. "and then your neck! Pap said you'd died...but that we couldn't just leave you in the hall, so we carried you inside...a few hours later, you came back to life...but...but you weren't you anymore." 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_. Harry cursed himself because she was practically describing a scene from _The Walking Dead_. How had she made this up?  
"Well, I'm me right now, okay? And I love you. We love you. We're all safe and sound and tomorrow, we'll go to Uncle Ni's and he'll be safe too." Harry said, firm.  
"Yes, daddy's right." Louis' eyes held a frightened glint, though, and it worried Harry. 

He couldn't possibly believe Cordelia had seen the future. 

It was unethical.  
"He's himself and I'm myself and you're yourself and Uncle Niall's himself and Mrs. O'Connor is herself. No one's going to eat anyone, love. I won't let that happen." Louis grinned, ruffling her hair until she shoved his palms away.  
"Watch my hair!" She giggled.  
"It's already a mess!" Louis cried, indignant. "I'm fixing it!"  
"You're making it worse!" She giggled and Louis frowned. 

Harry reached in, tickling her sides lightly until she laughed loud. He grinned down at her, laughing wildly as she did.  
"Let's go to bed, then." Harry said, sighing. 

He stood up, wrapping Cordelia in his arms and carrying her giggling body into her room. 

He placed her down onto her bed, tucking her in underneath the pink canopy.  
"Love you, dad."  
"And I love you, as well." Harry grinned, pulling her blanket up to her chin. "Have sweet dreams about reindeer and Olaf and Elsa."  
"They're my favourite." Cordelia muttered, eyes already shut. "Olaf is life."  
"I know, love. I know." 

;;

The next day things were usual. 

Harry got up first, of course, because Louis and Cordelia were both the type of people that could sleep eighteen hours and still be tired.

He made breakfast--Pancakes shaped like Olaf from _Frozen_ and apple juice--and placed it on plates on the table. 

By then, it was ten o'clock and time to wake up the rest of the house, so he walked into Cordelia's room.  
"Cord? Love, it's time to get up." He cooed. "I made Olaf pancakes."  
"Olaf pancakes?" She asked, sitting up. 

Her hair was wild and messy, probably from a night of tossing and turning, and her eyes were alight at the prospect of Olaf pancakes.  
"Yes, Olaf." Harry grinned. "Let's go get papa up first, though."  
"Papa!" She said, grinning maniacally. 

She grabbed Harry's hand and began to tug him toward his bedroom, laughing when he blindly stumbled on the cold floor. 

When they got to Louis, Cordelia pulled Harry up and onto the bed, jumping excitedly.  
"Papa!" She cooed. "Olaf pancakes and Uncle Ni's house!"  
"No," Louis mumbled. "Wanna sleep. Go eat your snowman."  
"Get up, please." She said, narrowly missing his thigh with her feet as she bounced. "Olaf pancakes!" 

She mispronounce Olaf, but she was three years old. She mispronounced an extensive list of words.  
"Fine, fine!" He said, dramatic, rolling his eyes. "I'm up. Sheesh, Cord." 

He sat up and Harry sat down next to him, smiling.  
"Pancakes!" She said, plopping down next to them.  
"Oh, I'll give you pancakes!" Louis said and reached out to tickle her. 

She fell back, rolling off the bed and running out of the room before he could touch her and presumably to her Olaf pancakes.  
"Morning," Harry said, kissing Louis' lips softly.  
"Morning." Louis said, grin wide and bright.  
"How'd you sleep?" Harry asked, but he knew the answer. 

He'd slept horribly, tossing and turning a good portion of the night and then having apparently wretched dreams.  
"Alright." He said, frowning. "How do you think she knew about...?"  
"I don't know." Harry said, honest. "Maybe Niall..."  
"Niall loathes zombie flicks and you know it. He'd never watch one with us, let alone with Cordelia." Louis shook his head.  
"I don't have any answers, Louis." Harry said, frowning. "All I know is that she thinks I'm going to be eaten by a bloody zombie Mrs. O'Connor and that I'll die...and come back."  
"Harry..." Louis said, frowning.  
"It's okay, Louis." Harry waved off his apology. "Zombies aren't real. But what is real is our date tonight."  
"Oh, yeah?" Louis smirked.  
"Yeah. We'll drop Cord off at Niall's and then we're going out."  
"What exactly does going out entail?" Louis' smirk never fell from his lips.  
"Dinner, maybe an R-rates movie, maybe some R-rated activities afterward, as well." Harry winked. He hadn't properly gotten laid in weeks. Cons of being a parent, he supposed. "Yeah?" Louis said, looking dazed. "Yeah." Harry winked. "Now let's go eat." 

;;

After they had eaten their Olaf (Owaf as Cord called them) pancakes and gotten dressed, they were ready to head out. 

Harry zippered up Cordelia's coat. It was blue with a little Olaf on the collar (She had an obsession (Leave her alone)).  
"Almost ready, love?" Harry asked Louis.  
"Yeah," he sighed, tucking his scarf into his coat. "Let's go." 

Harry grabbed Cordelia's hand and reached to open the door, but Cordelia stopped him.  
"No, daddy!" She yelled, panicked. "Listen! Mrs. O'Connor!"  
"What? Cord, I told you. She only eats tuna and cake--"  
"Listen!" Cordelia urged. "Please!" 

Harry shut his mouth, listening for anything that could signal an unsafe environment. 

And then he heard it, seconds later.

A soft shuffling sound and then, a groan.  
"Bloody hell." Louis murmured, eyes wide.  
"Hey, watch your mouth!" Harry scolded, but he'd have cursed too, if he hadn't been frozen in his own trance of fear and disbelief. 

It couldn't have been the start of the fucking zombie apocalypse. It was an average Sunday. An average March thirteenth, two thousand and sixteen. The same as the year before and the year after. 

_March thirteenth wasn't the start of the apocalypse,_ Harry decided. _It was just someone fucking around._

Louis had probably called Niall or one of the Aussies and had them all join in on this horribly grotesque prank.  
"It's not like she hasn't heard it before." Louis rolled his eyes. "Niall babysits her for God's sake."  
"I'm sure he watches his mouth." Harry muttered, pressing his ear against the door again.  
"Yeah, sure, like I watch mine." Louis barked out a sarcastic laugh. 

Harry rolled his eyes fondly before hearing another shuffle and groan.  
"Louis, I swear to God if you're screwing with me..." Harry shook his head. "There'll be repercussions."  
"I'm not. I swear, I wouldn't...not after last night." Louis shook his head, eyes downcast at Cordelia. 

She was squeezing Harry's arm for dear life, face fearful.  
"Love," Harry said, kneeling down to her height. "People don't eat people, okay?" Louis scoffed and Harry sent him a glare. 

This was not the time for Louis' sarcastic comments.  
"People eat food like cereal and pancakes and waffles. Not other people. That would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?  
"Yeah, I mean, we don't even eat _meat_ , so why would we go around chewing on other people?" Louis added, smiling softly. 

He'd kneeled down next to her, holding her free hand softly.  
"Okay, daddy." She smiled, reaching up to hug him. "I'm sorry."  
"Don't be sorry, love. It's fine. I'm just mad that Papa's playing a horrible trick on us." Harry gave her a flat smile.

He stood up, ignoring Louis' denials, and grabbed her hand again. He opened the door, keeping her behind him in case Michael or Niall popped out and scared the shit out of them. 

But there wasn't a Niall or a Mike or even a _Calum_. No, there was just Mrs. O'Connor, mouth ajar and bleeding, eyes locked on Harry.  
"Fuck." Harry said, eyes wide. 

He could feel Cordelia tugging on his arm and Louis screaming, but he was frozen. Stuck from fear and the stench of death.  
"Harry!" Louis was screaming, reaching for Harry to tug him through the doorway. 

He had enough sense to allow himself to be tugged, but when Mrs. O'Connor lunged, he didn't have enough sense to jump away. 

He just fell with her, her body pinning his to the floor. 

She was growling and sneering, jaw cracked to the side like she'd hit it off something hard, blood dripping onto Harry's face. He kept his mouth shut in fear of swallowing some and becoming one of them. 

He gazed into her eyes--white with disease--looking for something. He wasn't sure what-- _humanity? Empathy?_ Who knows. 

And then she was gone and he could sit up freely. 

The growling had stopped and suddenly Harry could see Louis above him, his blue-eyed guardian angel and it was like meeting him all over again.  
"Hi," Harry said, smiling softly.  
"Get up, dipshit. We're going to Niall's." Louis reached out a hand and Harry grabbed it, standing up on wobbly knees. 

Their door was closed, presumably because Louis had closed Cordelia in for safety.  
"She's okay?" Harry asked, worried. 

He always was a worrier.  
"Yeah, fine. Shaken up and soggy, but alive and not zombified." Louis shrugged. "Are you hurt? Did she...Did she bite you?"  
"No, I don't think so--" Harry's voice turned into a scream as he felt teeth sinking into his ankle. 

Skin was being ripped from muscle, muscle from bone. His entire body ached with the new pain and he cursed as he collapsed to the side, tears in his eyes. 

Mrs. O'Connor attacked him again, biting him twice more in the shoulder and neck before Louis could recover enough to kick her in the skull. 

He kicked her face in. Once, twice, three times, then more as if he couldn't control his deep seeded anger. Dark black blood splattered across the floor, over Louis' shoes.  
"Lou," Harry croaked out, eyes filled with tears. 

So that was how he'd die. Killed by a zombified old lady. 

Just his fucking luck.  
"Haz," Louis said, rushing to gather him in his arms. "I'm so sorry. Fuck. I'm sorry. God. we'll take you to the hospital. They'll know what to do, okay? Everything'll be okay. Everything'll be fine. You're gonna live."  
"Lou, no. Stop. I'm not going to be fine." Harry said, pressing his lips softly to Louis'. 

He tasted blood and metal, the sick bite of copper stinging his tongue.  
"We both know I won't make it. I'm bleeding out. See?" Harry removed his hand from his neck, feeling warm blood slide over his fingers. "Get Cord."  
"Yeah, yeah. Cordelia. Cordelia!" Louis stammered, lost without Harry to show him the way. 

The door creaked open and Cordelia peeked out, sobbing at the sight of Harry, bloody and battered, on the floor. She collapsed next to him, crimson blood spattering her coat, turning it purple.  
"Daddy," she whimpered, tears running down her face. "Are you okay?" Should he lie to her? 

He figured the best way was the truth, so he smiled a watery upturn of lips.  
"No, Cord. I won't." He'd have shaken his head if he could. "Come here." She crawled closer and Harry reached blindly for her hand. "I love you."  
"Daddy--No!" She sobbed. "I love you! Don't go!"  
"I'm sorry, Cord." He felt his consciousness slipping away, his vision going dark. 

His head felt light and heavy like he was both flying and drowning. His vision swam but he pressed his lips to Cordelia's tiny little hand.  
"I love you." He said, eyes fighting to remain open. "Louis, come here. Kiss me." 

Louis didn't fight him. Just pressed his lips against Harry's, tasting like sugar and salty tears. It was renewing, the new taste, when all Harry tasted was coppery blood.  
"I love you," Harry murmured against Louis' lips. 

His body throbbed with an agonizing heat, feeling fire burn through his body. His head pounded, his fingers chaffed. His legs spasmed and he felt so lost and yet so found at the same time.  
"I love you." Louis said back. "More than I've ever loved anything else. So fucking much."

Harry grinned, a slow, weak upturn of pale lips.  
"Watch your mouth." 

Louis choked on a bitter laugh, pressing his lips hard to Harry's once again. He sobbed into the kiss, writhing in agony as the light in Harry's eyes faded.  
"Cord, remember me." He whispered. "Remember that I love you."  
"I will." She promised, sobbing as Louis held her empty hand.  
"I love you both. Don't forget." 

Harry's let his eyes close, feeling everything fade away. He could no longer feel the aching in his body or the burn in his veins. But he did feel Louis' fingers in his, Cordelia's hands on his chest. 

He held onto those hands and refused to let go, drifting off with the memory of their fingerprints into God knows where.

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to do a zombie!au for a long time and this idea seemed like a good fit for me. I think it turned out decently well for being as short as it is. Feedback would be wonderful, by the way. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
